Post Gluten Free Anxiety And Depression

[Keshavdas]

It's going on around 6 - 7 weeks now that I've been gluten free and my anxiety and depression have gotten much worse - to the point that I'm looking to make an appointment with a psychopharmacologist to inquire about anti-depressants. I have scanned a few early threads on this topic and will try Pepto at night and more fish oil - but I'm already taking .5mg of Klonopin at bedtime and in the morning and that's not enough to make me feel reasonably comfortable. Acupuncture really helps.

Someone mentioned iron supplements. I did recently have a comprehensive battery of tests at my new chronic fatigue doctor's office and he mentioned that I was very iron deficient and warned me away from supplements saying it was much healthier to eat figs (hate 'em) and eat lots of spinach at least three times a week. I already take fish oil - but now that my digestion is really good I'm worried that too much fish oil will give me the runs. In any event I think the advice about figs and spinach is in particular good advice for Celiac sufferers who are men - for whom I've been told repeatedly - Iron supplements are not a good idea.

[rosetapper23]

I can't imagine why iron supplements would be considered bad. Yes, perhaps for people with normal absorption, it's better to get iron from food, but if you have celiac, you suffer from MALabsorption; therefore, iron supplements may be a necessary evil until your intestinal lining is able to absorb iron better. However, it's possible that there is so much damage, even iron supplements wouldn't work. In that case, intravenous iron infusions may be necessary. A number of us on this forum have had to have them until the damage to our villi was repaired.

Until you get your iron anemia issue taken care of, you're going to have a depression problem. You may have depression issues that DO need medication; however, until you resolve the anemia problem, you won't know if you actually needed additional help for your depression--perhaps all you needed was more iron!

I'm shaking my head with disbelief about what your doctor said.

[kareng]

Have you had your B12 and vitamin D checked, too? Those can give you mood issues, too.

I don't see why a man who is really low shouldn't take some iron. I think they don't like healthy men to supplement iron as they don't need it and have no way to get rid of the excess.

Remember that dairy should not be eaten with the iron food when you are trying to get every bit of iron out of the food.

[squirmingitch]

Green peas & raisins are both very high iron foods also.

[Keshavdas]

I can't imagine why iron supplements would be considered bad. Yes, perhaps for people with normal absorption, it's better to get iron from food, but if you have celiac, you suffer from MALabsorption; therefore, iron supplements may be a necessary evil until your intestinal lining is able to absorb iron better. However, it's possible that there is so much damage, even iron supplements wouldn't work. In that case, intravenous iron infusions may be necessary. A number of us on this forum have had to have them until the damage to our villi was repaired.

Until you get your iron anemia issue taken care of, you're going to have a depression problem. You may have depression issues that DO need medication; however, until you resolve the anemia problem, you won't know if you actually needed additional help for your depression--perhaps all you needed was more iron!

I'm shaking my head with disbelief about what your doctor said.

From what I understand regular Iron supplements are not safe for men. If there are men on this forum who have safely used iron supplements for celiac caused anemia I would like to hear from you. I don't doubt the iron deficiency is largely responsible for my mood and fatigue.

Thanks,

K

[pricklypear1971]

From what I understand regular Iron supplements are not safe for men. If there are men on this forum who have safely used iron supplements for celiac caused anemia I would like to hear from you. I don't doubt the iron deficiency is largely responsible for my mood and fatigue.

Thanks,

K

You might want to read this and show it to your doctor. Info about iron and Celiac is toward the bottom.

Open Original Shared Link

[Keshavdas]

You might want to read this and show it to your doctor. Info about iron and Celiac is toward the bottom.

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks - it was in fact my doctor who pointed out my iron deficiency. I've only been to see him twice and I haven't

I think - fully conveyed to him the celiac aspect of my

illness because we were mostly concentrating on viral

levels of Epstein Barr and HHV 6. He's one of the most

respected Chronic Fatigue doctors in the country and

rather focused on the viral stuff - so

I will have to make stronger reference to the malabsorption

aspect of the disease and see what he recommends with regard

to increasing my iron levels. Thanks for the article.

K